The third LP from Telekinesis, Dormarion, embraces varying takes on buoyant indie-pop and manages to simultaneously foray into diverse territories of sound while remaining cohesive. Moving between eighties synth, nineties rock, and acoustic pop, Michael Benjamin Lerner (aka Telekinesis) has created an excellent album full of danceable beats and memorable melodies.
Opener “Power Lines” serves as an overture, providing a glimpse of each of these facets. The song’s first minute presents a bare, acoustic riff, winding down to a walk-up hook. When the floor falls out and the buzzing guitars and snare-fueled drums kick in, the song is even more affecting. To top it off, Lerner throws in a synth hook that ties everything together.
While the band understandably often draws Death Cab for Cutie comparisons with this blend of indie-pop (intensified by the fact that the band received early help from DCFC guitarist Chris Walla), the music possesses less of a melancholy undertone. Lerner maintains his own voice, but there are glimmers of other indie-pop acts throughout the record. There’s a hint of the literate pop of Bishop Allen on “Power Lines.”
After blazing through the blistering pop of “Empathetic People,” Lerner delivers album single “Ghosts and Creatures,” one of the record’s most infectious songs. Driven by a pulsing electronic rhythm and echoing piano chords, Lerner’s vocals reach us from the end of a long, dark hallway. Despite its frigid, austere nature, the chorus melody latches on in the way that MGMT’s “Kids” does, particularly when backed by fuller production on the last time through.
Cold, synth-driven songs crop up again on the record in the form of “Wires” and “Ever True.” Lerner does his best New Order on the latter, and the distant synths work well, even if the song’s repetitious nature wears thin eventually. The sunny pop of “Lean On Me” contrasts with the upbeat but more commanding rock of “Dark to Light,” “Little Hill,” and “Laissez-faire.” On “Symphony,” Lerner waltzes through acoustic riffs of 3/4 time as he delivers sentimental lyrics. As the album’s sparsest, sappiest, and most vulnerable moment, some listeners will love it, while others will see it as a weak point surrounded by more mature songs.
Although Lerner still seems to be toying with different approaches to songcraft, the songs of Dormarion are the sonically richest and most developed we’ve seen from him. Most importantly, Dormarion is the kind of record that’s incredibly fun to listen to. Combined with its honest lyricism and well-constructed indie-pop, Telekinesis’ third LP is solidly successful.
